Athlete Nutrition

"FOOD IS THE MEDICINE THAT FUELS PERFORMANCE" - Amy Dirks

Eating Before Exercise

Pre-Game Meals should be your largest of the day as an athlete. It should include plenty of carbs, a decent amount of protein, and a little healthy fat (e.g. ghee, oils/dressings, avocados). 

• Food ideas for 1-4 hours before exercise:

  • Peanut butter and honey on crackers

  • Fruit and yogurt smoothie

  • Low-fat cottage cheese

  • Yogurt + granola + fruit

  • Lean hamburger or chicken on a whole-wheat bun

  • Grilled chicken, baked sweet potato/regular potato, roasted vegetables

  • Grilled fish, steamed brown rice, roasted vegetables

  • Baked salmon, quinoa, spinach side salad, pineapple

  • Oatmeal, toppings of choice (nuts, dried fruit, flax, almond milk, cinnamon), fruit salad, orange juice

  • Egg omelet or frittata with veggies (spinach, onions/mushrooms, sweet potatoes/potatoes in omelet/frittata or on the side), side of melons or berries

  • Granola with almond milk & banana/berries or Greek yogurt w/ granola & berries (try plain greek and add almond butter and honey or maple syrup)

  • Rosemary lime chicken with sweet potato fries and kale salad

  • Nutty Fruit & Cream; strawberries/blueberries in a cereal bowl topped with raisins and almonds; pour almond milk over top and eat like cereal

  • Taco bowl with ground chicken, spices, corn, lettuce/veggies, and brown rice

  • Baked potato (sweet potato) loaded with chicken, steamed veggies, avocado

  • Sweet potato hash (sweet potato, veggies/onions, fried or poached eggs)

• Food ideas for 30-60 minutes before exercise:

  • A piece of fruit

  • Whole grain crackers

  • Sports drink if your last meal was over 3-hours prior

  • Sports gel, sports bar

  • Fruit puree pouch like applesauce

  • Make your own trail mix; dried pineapple, dried mangos, dates, almonds, coconut flakes, dried bananas, jerky, sea salt or try dried cherries/cranberries, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, dark chocolate, and pumpkin seeds

  • Smoothies

  • Frozen grapes and a handful of nuts or piece of turkey

  • Banana or apple with almond butter and granola sprinkled (drizzle honey)

  • Applesauce with collagen protein powder mixed in

  • Orange or fruit of choice with cottage cheese or yogurt and nuts

  • All fruit bars with a handful of nuts

  • Gluten-free pretzels with yogurt dip or hummus if tolerated well

  • 2 protein/energy balls

Eating During Exercise

Eating during halftime or at any point during competition can help refuel athletes to power through the rest of the game. A small snack can also delay fatigue and help with recovery. 

• Food ideas during competition/exercise: 

  • Carbs, electrolytes, and fluids:

    • Electrolyte drinks / sports drink

    • Coconut water

    • Sports gels, beans, or chews 

      • Make your own chew (honey, almond butter, banana, lemon juice)

    • Bananas

    • Oranges

    • Apple sauce (baby food packet)

    • Frozen grapes

    • Watermelon

    • Dried Fruit

    • Sports Bars / Fruit bars (date bar)

    • Granola

Eating After Exercise

Eating for recovery after a strenuous workout, game or competition is very important. Here are some snack ideas for nutrition recovery.

• Recovery Snack Ideas:

  • Smoothie with milk (or milk substitute with protein powder), greens, and fruit

  • Crackers with nut butter

  • Pita chips and hummus & fruit

  • Yogurt with berries and whole grain cereal

  • Fruit with nuts or nut butter or yogurt dip

  • Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit

  • Kind, Lara, Rx bars

  • Protein/energy balls

  • Ready to drink protein (such as Orgain)

  • Organic cottage cheese with fruit

  • Chia pudding

  • Gluten free wrap with nut butter and fruit or with roast beef and ground mustard

  • Deli meat (no nitrate) lettuce wrap

  • Tomato/olive/fresh mozzarella skewers

  • Fruit salad with coconut milk drizzled (could add nuts or seeds/dried coconut)

  • Overnight oats; oats and almond milk in a jar overnight; in the morning, add nuts/seeds, fruit, cinnamon, vanilla, etc.

  • Pancakes w/ eggs, cinnamon, and banana; add almond butter or peanut butter after cooking

  • Egg “muffins”

  • Avocado on gluten-free toast

• Recovery Meal Ideas:

• Turkey, spinach sandwich wrap with fruit

• Rice bowl with beans, cheese, salsa, avocado

• Grilled protein such as fish, chicken or steak with broccoli or carrots and a baked sweet potato.

• Stir-fry with protein, veggies and quinoa

• Veggie omelet with whole grain toast and fruit

WATER!!!   "In regards to hydrating, cramping is usually due to a lack of preparation." - Amy Dirks

• Drink at least 2 glasses of water when you wake up in the morning

  • Add a lemon slice for extra Vitamin C (also helps detox the liver)

• Generally, you should hydrate throughout the day by drinking around 2 cups of water every 1.5-2 hours

• The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:

  • About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men

  • About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women